The Pokemon Diaries
by sskinn-and-bboness
Summary: Marlena Williams is off on an adventure around the Pokemon world with her best friend, whether her parents like it or not.
1. Chapter 1

**X Chapter One X**

It was the last period of the last day of school. Ever. I only had forty minutes left in the Pokémon Academy for the rest of my life, and the last thing I wanted to do was sit in class listening to Ms. Hanson drone on about important life lessons. Yet here I was, sliding through the door with my best friend Flynn Rotherham, seconds before the bell for the last time. Bitter nostalgia. We took our seats at opposite sides of the room. Flynn and I weren't allowed to sit by each other anymore.

"Children," Ms. Hanson began. I wish she would stop calling us children. We're seventeen, not seven. "It has been _such _a great pleasure to be your teacher this year." Most of the class groaned and slumped back in their desks. Ms. Hanson was not known for brevity, and we could tell we were in for a long speech. Asher Williams made his hand into a gun and pretended to shoot himself in the temple, his eyes rolling back for added effect. Lydia Jones and Marcy Adams passed notes and giggled, blatantly ignoring the teacher.

For a while, I tried to be considerate and attentive, but I ended up just looking around the room. Most of the things on the wall had been taken down, but a couple of motivational posters remained. "Hang in There, Skitty," "Turn in Homework!" Lame. I laid my head down on the desk.

"Marlena Williams, I know you are not sleeping on your last day of school," Ms. Hanson said semi-sternly. I say "semi" because she's been harsher and more direct throughout the year, even going as far as to hit me on the head with her yard stick. Plus, this was a special day. I looked up without raising my head and noticed the class' eyes on me, waiting for my clever response.

"Oh, no, not at all, ma'am. I was just noticing the way your sound waves carried through my desk. And then I was just trying to commit everything in this room to memory. You know, the smell, the feel, and most importantly, Ms. Hanson, your voice," I sat up and folded my hands on the desk, portraying a good and attentive student. The class laughed and Ms. Hanson even smiled a bit. The truth was, though, I hadn't even realized I'd fallen asleep. The clock said I had about thirty seconds left before the bell.

"Marlena, my dear, I'm going to miss your wit," she shook her head with a chuckle.

The bell rang and everyone bustled out the door, cheering. Flynn caught my eye and smirked, shaking his head as well. Flynn tells me I shouldn't sleep in class. Too late to change now, I guess.

"Sound waves and memorization? Really?" he said when we were in the hall. Somebody had ripped up their notebook and thrown the pieces in the air like confetti.

"Hey, it was pretty clever for just waking up, I'd say," I punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Marlena!" I heard a voice call behind me. It was Lexi Ross, a cutesy little blonde cheerleader. She was nice, but annoying. I stopped walking to let her catch up. "Marlena, wanna go shopping for a graduation outfit? There's this new little boutique in Agate that's super cute. You can come, too, Flynn." Of course Flynn could come. It was widely known that Lexi had a thing for Flynn.

"Oh, I'd just love to, Lexi-kins, but my parents are taking me out for a celebratory dinner. Sorry," I pretended like this troubled me, but I knew she only invited me so that Flynn would come along.

"Okay, well how about you, then? Wanna go?" she addressed Flynn now, her blue eyes hopeful.

"Can't, sorry. I've got work, and you know how it is." Luckily, he had that excuse to use at his disposal whenever she came around.

"Oh, alright. Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow, then," she smiled brightly (she was an avid teeth bleacher since her dad was a dentist) and picked up her pace so she wouldn't have to walk by us.

"You don't really have work, do you?" I eyed him.

"You don't really have a dinner, do you?"

"Touché."

**X X X X**

I really did need a graduation outfit, so when I got home, Mom took me out the Phenac City's mall. The trip from home in Gateon to Phenac is long. Mom kept going on about how old she felt and how she still remembered the day I was born "like it was yesterday" for the entire two-hour-long trip. I didn't say much, just stared out the window at the passing desert.

She bought me a cute blue sundress with small yellow flowers on it for the graduation ceremony and a purple one for the second ceremony on Monday.

The second ceremony was a big deal – a massive, no colossal deal. The top three students of the graduating class would be announced to the whole region. It would even be broadcasted on TV. Anyway, those three are then sent on a world-wide adventure to help our very own Professor Willow in her research of Pokémon evolution. Most of us already knew who would be picked, but it was still suspenseful.

The next day was graduation. It was pretty boring. Well, the speeches were at least. The principal and the dean of students talked, and then Willow reminded us all about tomorrow, as if we needed reminding. But then we were called up to get our diplomas and trainer cards, _et vióla_! We were certified trainers. I felt no different, but others acted as if they'd just been blessed with super powers.

Trevor McAdams threw a party at his house in Phenac. Nothing spectacular happened, except almost everyone got drunk and Lexi fell into the hot tub while trying to flirt with Flynn. Everyone rushed to her aid with towels, and that's when we ducked out. Luckily, Flynn had driven us there on his motorcycle, so we just rode on out to Agate. Compared to Phenac, Pyrite, and Gateon, Agate Village is practically silent. The only things there are a giant tree, a waterfall, a bunch of retired, elderly folks, and a handful of outdoorsy people.

It was late at night, and though we couldn't see all the stars, we could see a lot more than we could at Gateon or Pyrite. We sat on the bridge in silence, our legs dangling over the edge. I could see various species of water Pokémon swimming through the clear water.

"Marlena, I hope we stay friends forever," Flynn said quietly after a while.

I smiled, "Well, of course we will."

"We need to go on our own adventure."

I agreed by resting my head on his shoulder.

Flynn's a good kid.

**X X X X**

On Sunday, Flynn and I went down to Pyrite's flea market. The selection this time around was mostly junk, but I did find a sweet leather jacket that was broken in to perfection for only $10.

Lydia and Marcy were also in town, but not for the flea market. They, along with most of the town, were admiring the Pokémon of past years' Chosen Ones. Though Flynn was my best friend, Lydia and Marcy were my best girlfriends. We hung out for a while, but around lunchtime, Flynn and I headed out to the Outskirt Stand.

It took us three hours to get there, due to traffic, so it was a late lunch. When we finished, we caught a movie in Phenac, just forty minutes away. By the time that was finished, it was 5:46. Flynn invited me over to his house for dinner. His mom made lasagna. His sister Mona's Buizel was excited to see me, and insisted I held it on my hip like a child. I just hope it doesn't expect the same treatment when it's a Floatzel.

**X X X X**

Then it was Monday. The day everyone had been waiting for since we started the Pokémon Academy. I had an hour to get ready before I left for the ceremony at 11:45. I wore the new purple dress that looked nice on my pale skin.

When I got there, Lydia and Marcy weren't there yet. I thought that was really odd, but sure enough, they came in with two minutes to spare, looking flustered, though Lydia's hair looked good. I'm sure her mother's prize-winning Cinccino did it for her.

Professor Willow made her speech, though I didn't listen very well, and then started to call the Chosen Ones up.

"And so, without further ado, I'd like to congratulate the three members of the 2012 squad. In alphabetical order…" she opened an envelope as if she didn't know whose names were about to be called, "Marcy Adams."

Cheers erupted as Marcy jumped up from her seat. She shook the hands of the older squads, then took her seat up on the platform, beaming the widest smile I've ever seen. Willow held up the next envelope to silence the crowd.

"Lydia Jones." More cheers. Lydia was either humble or nervous, but she didn't look at the crowd at all. She just took her seat and squeezed Marcy's hand.

"And, last but certainly not least… Asher Williams." Even more cheers. He was ecstatic; I could tell. A couple of his buddies screamed and cheered extra loud for him. Lydia looked up then, smiling extra wide. She looked happier when he was called than when she was.

Lydia has a crush on Asher. This is a fact. She told us at Noelle's sleepover last year. We were playing Truth or Dare, and Lydia picked truth.

"Who do you have the biggest crush on?" Olive asked. Lydia blushed ferociously and giggled nervously, but didn't answer right away.

"Is is it Liev O'Bryan?" Mandy asked defensively. That was her crush.

"Um, no, it's uhh…" she looked over to Marcy, then to me, "Asher Williams," she squeaked out. Lorelai vowed that she'd get them together eventually. Lydia never picked truth again for the rest of the night.

When Willow stepped down from the podium, the crowd swarmed around them. I snuck in to give Marcy and Lydia big hugs and congratulate them because they were real friends, not fake friends like Karina or Lilah. I also hugged Asher because we're cousins and that's what cousins do.

They were about to set off on a wonderful adventure and be the talk of the town until next year's pick.

And I'd be left in Orre to fulfill a destiny of bussing tables and refilling drink orders.

At least I had Flynn.

My and Asher's parents played catch up with each other, so Flynn and I left early to catch the first bus back to Gateon. Flynn noticed I was a little somber and pulled out his iPod, selecting the playlist created just for me. _Marlena's Tune-age_. He's always been able to find little ways to make me smile.

"I'm glad you're not leaving, Flynn-stone," I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad I'm not either." I punched him lightly in the arm. He play-shoved me back. A bitter, old cat Pokémon lady and her Purrloin glared at us until we settled down.

We got off at our stop and made our way to Flynn's backyard to the tree house we and his dad built in the fourth grade. His dad is an electrician and helped us make it the most high-tech tree house in Orre. We hung out there playing videogames until my mom came calling for me to come home for dinner.

**X X X X**

On Tuesdays, Flynn works at his and Marcy's dad's parts shop. It was a partnership. Mr. Adams was a mechanic, and Mr. Rotherham was, like I said, an electrician, but was once an inventor. While Flynn was busy, I took my family's Growlithe on a walk. Once at the park, I let him loose to chase Pachirisus and Emolgas. I laughed at his frustration when his make-believe prey climbed up the trees, out of his reach. I mostly just watched the passers-by go about their business.

I was swinging my legs under the bench when I felt my heel make contact with something. I leaned over to check what I'd hit. A large blue and yellow egg was laying on its side.

"Holy shh—" I started. An elderly passerby looked over, concerned yet annoyed and displeased that I almost cussed.

"Sorry, I just uh… stubbed my toe…" She continued walking. I called Growlithe back. The loyal creature immediately stopped stalking his 'prey' and rushed over to me. Without a second thought, I scooped up the egg and sprinted home. In my rush, I accidently slammed the front door.

"HEY! Don't slam the door!" Dad called from his recliner.

"Sorry!" I replied, not stopping. I sprinted up the rest of the stairs to my room, Growlithe at my heels. I stashed the egg in a shoe box under my bed, then ran back outside. I was set to run, but I noticed my bike lying on the porch. I quickly mounted it and pedaled off as fast as I could to the parts shop. Growlithe was still chasing me, running right next to my back wheel. He loved to run; his face was pulled back into a grin, his tongue flopping out of his mouth.

I jumped off the bike before it stopped, which sent it careening into the brick wall, but I didn't care.

"FLYNN!" I shouted as I yanked open the door, startling all the customers. I was out of breath, my face was flushed, and my hair was windblown.

"Marlena, what's wrong?" he hurried over to me, abandoning the person at the cash register. I couldn't breathe right yet, let alone respond. I just shook my head. "I'll be off in an hour. Meet me at the tree house?" I nodded and turned back out the door. Growlithe had been guarding my bike and started to wag his tail when I came out. I placed my hands over my head to help control my breathing for a while. When I could finally breathe again, I picked up my bike from its heap against the wall. Surprisingly, nothing was bent or broken except for the one cracked reflector.

I pedaled home much slower; Growlithe only had to trot beside me. The next hour passed at glacial speeds. I couldn't sit still, and eventually ended up pacing. Growlithe lost interest and left, probably to go play outside again. As soon as the hour was up, I grabbed the shoebox and lifted its lid, still amazed by the egg inside. I walked to Flynn's house and made my way up the tree house's ladder. He still wasn't back from work yet, so I placed the shoebox on the table and scanned the bookshelves, trying to stay calm. _The Catcher in the Rye_, _The Great Gatsby_, _The Fountainhead_, _To Kill a Mockingbird_. I enjoyed reading as much as the next person, but Flynn loved it. I had just pulled out a book to read its back cover when I heard Flynn climbing up the ladder. I turned around, smiling.

"What?" he said. He was obviously confused. The last time he had seen me I was a mess, and now here I was, smiling like a fool. I didn't respond, just kept smiling. "What's in the box?" His work shirt was halfway unbuttoned.

"Open it," I said. He did. His eyes widened.

"Is – is that an egg?"

"It seems to be."

He was frozen in front of it, and for good reason. Eggs don't just show up in Orre.

"Where'd you get it?"

"I found it in the park under a bench. No one would just have left it there, so technically I didn't steal it," I explained quickly.

"What do we do now?"

I shrugged, "Hatch it."

**X X X X**

The next day, the SS Virgo cruise ship docked in Gateon. Marcy, Lydia, and Asher were leaving. I said a quick goodbye to them again. I should have stayed for longer because I probably wouldn't see them again until next year, but I ran off to the tree house as soon as they got on board.

I didn't know why I was running. We had hidden it out of plain sight, and it's not like it could sprout legs and walk away. But I ran.

Flynn and I had bought a hot water bottle to keep it warm. Over the next few days, we spent all day up in the tree house with it. All my thoughts were centered on it.

That Saturday, when we went inside for lunch, Mona was suspicious.

"What are you guys doing up there all the time?"

"Nothing," we both answered quickly. It must have been a little too quick because she just frowned like she didn't believe us.

The next day, at around four as we were lounging around, we heard the ladder creak.

"Wow, I haven't been up here since I was in the seventh grade when you guys built this!" Mona commented.

The egg was out in the open in the hutch we had made for it. Even though it was in the corner, Mona had sharp eyes and would spot it immediately.

Her head popped over the ledge. Flynn was about to hide it, but there was nowhere to do that, so he just stood in front of it. Mona was now completely inside. My heart rate quickened. She looked around and scrutinized our guilty faces.

"Well, I'm glad to know you're not having sex up here," she said.

"Ugh, Mona, get out!" Flynn said. We were both blushing.

She didn't move, but tightened her eyes on him. "Come here," she ordered.

"What are you doing up here?" Flynn retorted, remaining rooted to his spot.

"What are you hiding?" she strode across the room. Flynn tensed, but she kept walking towards the mini fridge behind him. She narrowed her eyes at us before yanking the door open, acting as if she'd caught us red-handed.

"You're not hiding alcohol or drugs are you?" she said, scanning the contents of the fridge.

"Yes, we're getting hammered and stoned every day. Care for a spliff or a vodka?" I said from the sofa. She laughed.

"I can never be too sure. If I'd found beer in there, I don't know what I would have do— what is that? An _egg_?" her already big round eyes were massive. We didn't say anything. What could we do, lie? _Oh no, that's just a __papier-mâché project shaped like an egg._ No.

"Where'd you find it?"

"Park," I said.

"Are you gonna hatch it?"

"Yes," Flynn said.

"Can I help?"

"You're not telling Mom?"

"Why would I? This is amazing. Can I help?"

"Okay."

**X X X X**

About five days later, as we were sitting and watching TV, an impressive crack filled the room. Flynn and I made eye contact for maybe half a second before we scrambled over to the hutch. Mona joined us a moment later.

Flynn squeezed my hand. I squeezed back harder. Mona was frozen with her hands over her mouth. A tiny blue paw kicked through, followed by a black one on the other side. Finally, the rest of the tiny body worked its way through. A Shinx. Its bright yellow eyes stared up at us as it tried to gain balance on its new legs.

"It's a girl," Mona noted.

I couldn't say anything. I was transfixed on its shining eyes. I put my hand out for it to just sniff, but it leapt into my arms instead. Tears welled up in my eyes for some reason. Its head nuzzled into the space between my chest and shoulder.

"I think it just decided its partner," Mona said with a smile. "I got you a pokéball. You have to put it in now or else it will resist."

I did as I was told. I pressed the center button on the red and white ball, expanding it to normal size. A red beam shot out around the baby Shinx, and suddenly my arms were empty. It rolled on the ground a few times, glowing, but it was soon still.

"How am I going to explain my parents how I caught it?"

"Just say someone's Luxray had a baby and they gave it to you," Flynn suggested.

And that's what I did.

Mom gushed over my new partner and reminisced about the day she got her Growlithe. Dad didn't even smile. Shinx liked to stay in my arms. Growlithe was skeptical at first, but grew to like her once she was deemed unthreatening.

One day, while I was out with Flynn, Willow approached us.

"Marlena, it has come to my attention that you now have a Pokémon," she had a business-like tone.

"Y-yeah, I do."

"May I see it?"

"Uhm, sure, but why?"

"Marlena, I know you hatched it. I'm just wanting to make sure it's healthy," she lowered her voice.

"How do you know?" I whispered back.

"My aide saw you in the ark and placed it there under the bench. You see, you were a very close runner up for third in the class, and we thought it would be unfair for all your work to go unnoticed because you were just .01 GPA points lower than Marcy. We know how hard you worked, and we wanted to reward you. This is the first time we've done this, too, because this was the first time the rankings were that close. We almost sent you with them, but we decided this would be better.

"Anyway, may I see your Pokémon?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry." I released Shinx from its ball. She looked up at Willow.

"Shinx?" she squeaked. Willow marked some things on a clipboard. She lifted its mouth to check its teeth, much to Shinx's displeasure. She checked the ears, eyes, joints, stomach, heart rate, and muscles, too.

"Alright, well that ought to do it. You're a real cutie," and with that she left.


	2. Chapter 2

**X Chapter Two X X Chapter Two X**

"Marlena?"

"Flynn," I murmured back, exhausted.

"We need to leave."

It was Friday night – I mean Saturday morning. Shinx was asleep, and I was about to do the same. I was sleeping over at the tree house. Flynn and I were lying on the floor under a down blanket. The clock said 3:17 AM. I sat up.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's been two months since Shinx was hatched, and we need to leave." His face was close to mine. His brown eyes stared into mine.

"And go where, exactly?"

"Anywhere."

"When?"

"When does the next ship come to port?"

"Sunday," I sighed, knowing what was coming.

"Sunday."

"I'd need to ask my parents. I mean, I can't just leave."

He smiled at me and lay back down. I followed suit. He pulled the covers over us more. His eyes were still locked on mine.

I sighed again, "Sunday… Okay, Flynn-stone… Sunday."

He pulled me into a hug. I became aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Thanks, Marl-boro," his hug tightened, then released.

**X X X X**

The next morning, I woke up alone on the floor. It was 1:34 PM. I collected my things and left, knowing Flynn was at work. Mom was vacuuming when I got home.

"Oh, there you are, Dear. Go fold the laundry, please, and put your stuff away."

"Mom, I need to talk to you and Dad."

She turned off the vacuum with a concerned look. "What is it?"

"Will you and Dad just have a seat?"

Dad was already in his recliner. I stood while they sat.

"I – I want to, uhm, go on, uh. I want to go on an adventure. With Flynn. Around the world. To, you know, make something of myself,"

"Make something of yourself?" Dad scoffed, "Like what?"

"Well, I'd like to be a… a Pokémon master."

"A Pokémon master?" he guffawed, "Did you hear that, Judith? Marlena wants to be a Pokémon master! Here's the deal, _sweetie_, you don't have what it takes. You think it's easy? Like your coursework? You weren't even in the top three of your class! What makes you think you can be a master?"

"I – I don't… know."

"You will _never_ be a Pokémon master, Marlena, NEVER!"

"Curtis," Mom started.

"Just shut the _fuck_ up, Judith! You will not leave to go on some adventure with that Rotherham boy. Why don't you do something more realistic, huh? You will only amount to some desk job, and maybe not even that! A secretary! You'll only amount to being a secretary!"

"I'm going to leave. You can't stop me," I shouted. I was beyond angry.

"If you leave, don't even bother coming back here!" he was actually screaming now. My eyes started to burn. I had to leave right then. I ran out the door with the intent of leaving it open, but I turned back to slam it as hard as I possibly could. The glass on it cracked. I knew that would bother him the most.

I walked down the street, tears streaming down my face. With nowhere to go, I went down to the beach. Lilah and Karina were there tanning in skimpy swimsuits that captivated Trevor and Jason. Karina looked over at me a smirked, making me painfully aware that I was still in my boxer shorts and Weezer band t-shirt.

"Ya doin' alright there, Marlena?" Lilah said in a nasally voice. I knew she didn't really care.

"As a matter of fact, Lilah, no I'm not doing alright. So just fuck off," I sneered. Why I always put up with those two, I'll never know.

I turned away from their shocked faces and walked up the beach to the parts shop. I got dozens of weird looks from passersby. I was a mess, still in PJs with tear-stained cheeks and red eyes. There were no customers in the store, luckily. Flynn was leaning on the counter reading _To Kill a Mockingbird_ for the zillionth time. It was his favorite book. I started crying again when I saw him. His cheery smile immediately turned to concern as he rushed over to hold me.

I told him what happened, and his anger rose with every detail. I could barely talk between sobs, but he held my head to his chest and it felt good.

"I'm still going," I said when my weeping had calmed to the occasional sniff.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Tonight I'll pack my stuff and tomorrow we'll leave for wherever."

He sighed and rested his chin on the top of my head.

I spent the rest of the day in the break room eating tortilla chips and watching movies on TV. When Flynn got off work at 5:00, we went to get Chinese takeout and went back to the tree house. Flynn had apparently been planning this for a while because he had quite a stockpile of camping equipment in the shed. His parents were all for his adventure.

I spent the night again, and at about 2:00 AM, we snuck back into my house to get my things. Dad had been drinking, so he was out cold with empty beer cans surrounding him. Mom had most likely taken her sleeping pills, so I wasn't too worried about either of them randomly waking up. I snuck into my room, pulled out my biggest duffel bag and began packing all my clothes and shoes and anything else I felt like I needed. I threw the bag out the window to Flynn because I knew I wouldn't be able to squeeze it through the narrow hallway quietly enough.

I was all set to go until I turned around and noticed Growlithe's lonely eyes staring at me from the doorway. My heart melted. I knew I couldn't leave him here alone.

I snuck into my parents' bedroom. Mom was snoring loudly. I lifted the top of her jewelry box off. There it was. Growlithe's pokéball. He hadn't been in it for years. I returned him to it, then stuck it on my belt next to Shinx. Now I was ready. I would miss this place – well, parts of it – but I had to go. Flynn was right.

I joined him outside. It was 3:15. The SS Gemini would dock in five hours.

"Today, before work, I told Willow what we were doing," Flynn said as we started walking back.

"And?" How could he not tell me this? What if she told my parents? Or the cops?

"She gave me a Pokémon and said good luck."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Flynn-stone? Let's see the little guy," I laughed. He pressed the center button of the pokéball he had on his belt. A black creature about the height of my hip appeared. It had a red ear and three red feathers for a tail. It had a yellow oval on its forehead and chest, and razor sharp claws.

"Sneasel," it said. Flynn looked incredibly proud. It was his favorite Pokémon after all.

"Oh, and she gave me two pokédexes," he said, pulling the two devices out of his pocket. "They're pretty cool. They can do a lot of things, like play music, display maps, call people, and plus they're solar powered."

"Sweet!" I said, opening it up. There was a cord for me to connect to my iPod to transfer the music over. A good thing, too, since I had neglected to charge my iPod before leaving.

We spent the next hour in the tree house messing with all its capabilities. I registered Shinx, Growlithe, and Sneasel into it. When I showed Flynn that I had taken Growlithe, he frowned, but agreed it was for the best. Mom didn't take care of him like she used to, and Dad has made it well-known on numerous occasions that I was the only reason it was still around.

At 5:30, we relocated to Flynn's aunt's house. I wasn't sure when my parents would wake up, but I knew Flynn's house would be the first place they'd look for me. At 8:00, the ship's horn filled the air. I knew if my parents were up, they'd go straight to the ship now. They'd notice that Growlithe, almost everything in my room, and I were missing, and they'd know for sure. My heart quickened and I struggled to take deep breaths.

"Hey, hey, hey, shh, shhhh, Marlena, it'll be okay, shhh," Flynn tried to comfort me, taking my shoulders, "It will be incredibly crowded. They won't find you."

"Yes they will. That's how my life goes. Every time I have a great chance, it's ruined by them."

"That's not true. You have Shinx."

"That's because I didn't tell them!" I was a wreck. He pulled me in for another hug. "Don't let go," I whispered.

"I wouldn't dare."

"Kids, the ship is here. It's going to leave soon," Flynn's aunt said from the door. We were huddled on the front porch. I sniffled and stood up. Flynn grabbed our stuff and loaded it onto the back seat and saddlebags of the motorcycle.

The loading space for vehicles was separate from the regular passengers' entrance. We parked the motorcycle and stood in our line on the other side of the ship from the regular line. I scanned the crowd constantly, never taking my eyes off it, my heart beating wildly.

I noticed a disturbance in my peripheral vision. I spotted Dad shoving people out of his way to the ticket man. His face was scarlet as he screamed and demanded a ticket. I felt sick. His face turned up to our line, scouring each face. I ducked down and pulled Flynn with me.

"He's here!" My face must have conveyed my terror because his face shifted from confusion to worry to anger. He pulled his hood over his head and stood up, keeping his back to my dad. He reached for my hand and pulled me up. His shoulders, wider than me, kept me hidden. I peeked over his shoulder to see Dad jabbing his finger into the ticket man's chest. Security rushed over to haul him off. Just past that scene, I saw Mom. Staring right at me. She nodded once, as if giving me permission, then turned. I hoped she wouldn't tell Dad, and I'm almost certain that she didn't. The thousand of knots in my stomach and throat loosened and I slumped into Flynn's arms.

"You're safe."

I couldn't say anything.

We got through the line. Apparently, Mona's friend's dad's cousin or something was the captain, so we got a voucher. Our room was 113B. We didn't leave the room much. There was a massive window so we could see outside, plus room service, cable TV, and Internet access. There was no real reason to leave aside from sheer boredom of the lack of scenery changes in the room. The ocean was nice and all, but after a while it was all the same. At those times, we visited the pool for a bit. Some girls from Sinnoh hit on Flynn and invited him to a party back at their room. We did not go.

We landed in Kanto on the following Friday. A full week since the decision to leave was made. Five days ago, I gave up my entire life for a new one.

Oh, Arceus.


	3. Chapter 3

**X Chapter Three X**

Viridian City. It was bright and colorful and loud. Every stand in the marketplace had something different and exotic. All the food smelled good. All the clothes were of haute couture. And, as typical with any port city, sailors wandered around checking out any passing girl.

Distracted by all the new sights, I walked straight into boy that looked about our age.

"Oh, jeez, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" I helped him off the ground. He laughed, which surprised me. If it had been me on the ground, I would have been shouting at the imbecile to watch the fuck out. He was smiling like he was really grateful or something.

"Ha ha, yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm Alex, but call me Lex," he dusted himself off and extended his hand out again. He was wearing a nice white button-down with dark wash skinny jeans and sneakers. Clean sneakers, but sneakers none-the-less. I would have assumed he'd come from school except it was summer.

"I'm Marlena, and this is Flynn." We shook hands.

"So where are you guys from?"

"Orre," Flynn said.

"Wow, I wish my parents would let me travel that far. I haven't even been to Saffron. So where ya headed?"

"We don't know yet," I said.

"Everywhere," Flynn said.

"I'm real jealous, guys. Like I said, I wish my parents let me go places. I've only been to Lavender Town when my Gran died."

"That's a shame," Flynn said.

"Hey, you guys wanna come over to my place?"

"Yeah, sure, we don't have anywhere else to go."

We got the motorcycle out of the parking garage we'd left it at. Lex was impressed again. His dad didn't let him even touch the motorcycle, but sometimes, when his parents were out of town, he'd take it on a joy ride. Since there was only room for two people, we had to walk uphill to his house for fifteen minutes.

We left the motorcycle on the curb, but brought our stuff up to the front door with us while Lex messed with his hundreds of keys.

"I don't know what half of these go to. I collect lost keys in drawers, on streets, everywhere I see one. I just pick 'em up and add it to the collection. I only use four of them," he laughed.

When he found what he thought was the match, the door suddenly swung open. A girl, also our age, stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and a smirk across her face.

"Shit, Effie, you scared us. Oh, this is my twin sister Effie. This is Flynn and Marlena. I found them at the port," Lex introduced us. Aside from the difference in X and Y chromosomes, they looked very much alike. Both had dark brown hair and clear blue eyes in an almond shape. They had heart shaped jaw lines and accentuated cheek bones. Effie was wearing aviator goggles around her neck and some beat up, scuffed loafers. Her hair was in a side French braid with a ribbon twisted in.

Lex ruffled his hair and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a motor-oil stained wife beater. None of us made a move to go inside.

"Do you guys have any Pokémon?" Effie asked with sudden interest.

"Yes."

"Well, let's see 'em," Lex said.

We released Shinx, Growlithe, and Sneasel.

"I've never seen a Shinx before. They hardly ever come to Kanto," Effie noted.

"Do you guys have any?" I asked.

"No. We can't have any until we live on our own. Next year we're eighteen, so we're gonna move out and get an apartment in either Saffron or Celadon," Lex said.

We were quiet.

"So, uh, come in, guys. Do you want anything to drink?" Effie moved out of the doorway to let us in. Their home was pretty big. The foyer alone could have fit my bedroom and kitchen, which I had previously thought was rather large. But this house was the kind of big that did not allow running around or touching things. It was stuffy and regal, but mostly gloomy. It was filled with exquisite furniture and boredom.

"Um, water is fine," I said, looking around. Effie led us to the kitchen and pulled two water bottles out of the spacious fridge and handed them to us. We took sips in awkward silence.

"Want a tour?" Effie asked.

"Sure."

Lex and Effie took us around the estate. I counted twelve bedrooms and fourteen bathrooms. The entire basement had been reconstructed into a home theater Effie's rooms had floor-to-ceiling windows on the east wall overlooking the manicured lawn. Lex's window-wall was on the west wall across the hallway. A couple Bellsprouts hurried across their yard and into the neighbor's.

Lex had filled his room with broken skateboards and musical instruments. Effie had filled hers with her impressive wardrobe and miscellaneous art supplies. An easel stood in the corner by the windows. There was nothing on the canvas.

"I ran out of inspiration," she shrugged.

When we finished the tour, it was about 5:30. We'd been in Kanto for two hours. The four of us watched TV until we heard the garage door open. Effie and Lex scrambled up, turning off the TV, straightening couch cushions. Lex motioned for Flynn to follow him, while Effie grabbed my wrist and pulled me into our rooms.

"Sorry. We're not co-ed," she said quickly.

"Huh?"

"We can't have the opposite gender in our rooms or be around them when our parents aren't home. And we can't watch TV unsupervised."

"Oh, it's fine."

"Alexander, Euphemia," a woman's voice called, "I'm home."

"Let's go." We walked out to the hallway where Lex and Flynn met us. Their mother was starting up the spiral stairs.

"Children, I thought I told you to – oh, hello. Who are you two?"

"I'm Flynn."

"And I'm Marlena."

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yes, they are, Mother, if that's alright," Lex had returned to his upright posture and his shirt was buttoned again, but not tucked in.

"Well, it's a pleasure. You may call me Mrs. Lambros." She smiled with tight lips and turned to descend down the stairs again. "Oh, and Alexander, tuck in your shirt."

**X X X X**

Dinner was quiet aside from when Mr. Lambros would ask us questions about ourselves. Mrs. Lambros, Effie, and Lex said nothing, and Flynn and I would answer with the shortest responses possible. We sat on the far end of the twelve-seater dining room table, and Mr. and Mrs. Lambros sat on the opposite side.

"So, Marlena, Flynn, where did you come in from?" Mr. Lambros asked between bites.

"We just landed from Orre today," I said.

"Orre? Wow that's pretty far. Where are you staying?" There was a moment of silence as we contemplated what to say. I was planning that we'd stay at the Pokémon Center, but I was sure that was trashy in their eyes.

"Uhm, well, we haven't planned that out yet," Flynn explained.

"Then you'll stay here!" he declared joyously. Flynn and I smiled politely. Mrs. Lambros widened her eyes in shock, then narrowed them just as quickly, but went unnoticed by her husband.

"Oh, thank you, sir," I said.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Mrs. Lambros asked as if this didn't bother her.

"Just for the night – we wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense! Where are you headed?" Mr. Lambros took a sip of his wine, almost spilling it when he spoke.

"We don't know that either, sir."

"Well," he leaned forward on the table like he had an incredible suggestion that we'd be fools to pass up, "How about until you get it all figured out you stay here for the entire weekend? It will be fine – you won't be putting us out. We have plenty of room." Mrs. Lambros almost choked on her wine.

"That'd be great, sir. Thank you so much," Flynn said.

Mrs. Lambros cleared her throat and stood up. "May I see you in the kitchen, Stephen?" She left without his response. He followed her.

At first it was quiet in there, but it soon rose in volume. We stayed silent so as not to miss a word.

"Damn it, Stephen, they're bad influences!"

"Why, Kate? Tell me why they're bad influences. I sure as hell can't tell."

"Because they traveled from so far away with Pokémon! Alexander and Euphemia are going to want to join them!" she hissed.

"So what, Kate? They're almost adults. We can't shelter them forever!"

"I don't want them here longer than the weekend!" she said, suddenly calm. We heard her heels against the tile floor. We pretended like we weren't listening. She smiled another tight-lipped smile and sat back down. The four of us had finished during their talk, so we excused ourselves and got permission to watch a movie in the theater.

"Sorry about that," Lex apologized once we were in the basement.

"No, no, it's fine. My parents didn't want me leaving either. My dad also said Flynn was a bad influence," I said.

"How'd you convince them to let you go?" Effie asked.

"I didn't. I ran away."

Their eyes widened.

"Seriously?" Effie said. I nodded. "_Hard Core_."

"Shit, man," Lex laughed, "you got a lot of balls."

"We should do that, too, Lex," Effie said.

"Yeah, can we go with you?" Lex and Effie were like eager children.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I don't see why not."

"We gotta be careful, though. We'd have to do it in the middle of the night," Effie said.

"Yeah, it needs lots of planning," Flynn said.

"How'd you go about it?" Lex asked.

"Well, I asked my dad first last Saturday. He said no, and there was a big fight, so I stayed with Flynn, but the ship came the next day, so I just, you know… got on it."

"Her dad almost caught her, though, because he knew she'd go anyway. So don't tell your parents or give them any reason to believe you're leaving and you should be fine," Flynn added.

"What should we bring?" Effie asked.

"All your clothes and shoes, or as much as you can fit. Books or electronics – something to keep you occupied. We can probably have Willow send over some pokédexes – "

"No need. Our trainer school issued them to us at graduation," Lex said.

"'Kay, then whatever else you wanna bring. Also tents, sleeping bags, toiletries, the essentials."

"We can knick my dad's motorcycle. That way we don't have to keep walking," Lex suggested.

"When?" Flynn asked.

"Tomorrow night? That way we'll have all day to plan and pack. Mom has her Neighborhood Association meeting, and Dad has a golf tournament. We'll be alone all day. We could even leave during the day if we wanted," Lex said.

"That's risky. Night is better. Someone might see us otherwise. But we can get everything set and ready to go," I said.

"Shit, I'm nervous," Effie laughed.

**X X X X**

"Euphemia, Alexander, I'm leaving. I'll be back at 4:00," Mrs. Lambros called. It took me a moment to remember where I was.

I sat up. I could smell the stale air. It was obvious they didn't have guests stay over frequently. I tiptoed out the room and snuck into Flynn's across the hall. He was still asleep, so I crawled into bed beside him. The clock said 7:00, but with the time change, it felt like 3:00 to me. I fell asleep again in my usual fetal position.

"Marlena, Flynn. _What_ are you doing?"

"Hmmmm?" I groaned and turned my head to check the clock. 7:45. Damn. My eyes closed again and I lay back down.

"Ef, I think we're intruding on their quality time," Lex said from the doorway. I opened my eyes again, frowning, but again, they closed on their own accord. I slowly became aware that my arm wrapped around Flynn's torso and my head was resting on that space between the chest and the shoulder. His arm was wrapped around me, too. I heard him moan as we became conscious. I felt something touching me on my upper thigh.

"SHIT!" I jumped out of bed. Well, falling out of bed after getting tangled in the sheets and tripping. Flynn reddened and flipped over. Effie and Lex laughed loudly.

Morning Wood. Fabulous.

"Should we have knocked?" Effie joked.

I glared at the amused twins.

"Arceus, guys, it's like 3:45 where we're from," Flynn said after his uh… situation was taken care of.

"We knew there was a change, but not that much of one. Our apologies. But, now that you're up, let's get a move on things," Effie said while clapping her hands a couple times. Lex flipped on the switch for no reason. The windows in this room were on the east with the sunrise already lighting the room.

"You're gonna pay for this," I threatened as I stumbled out the door back to my room. I found some jeans and a top and threw them on, brushed my teeth and hair, and quickly applied a layer of mascara. When I opened the door again, Effie was leaning on the wall next to it. She pushed me back into my room and shut the door.

"Marlena, are you guys… you know… together?" she whispered while raising her eyebrows twice suggestively.

"Oh, Arceus, no! He's my best friend. That's just weird."

"I see the way he looks at you, though, and I wasn't sure."

"He looks at me a certain way? I mean – no. I've known him since we were five. That's twelve years."

Effie opened the door again, but turned around when I was just out of the doorway. She didn't say anything, just smiled.

"So," Lex placed his hands on both our shoulders suddenly, making me jump. "Little jumpy, eh?" he stared into my eyes a little longer than necessary and squeezed my shoulder. Flynn's door was closed.

"Heh heh, yeah, sleep deprivation."

"Anyway, I'm thinking we move Dad's motorcycle out to the side of the house, out of sight, so we don't have to open the garage door in the middle of the night."

"'Kay," I said.

"Lex, I don't think we have any camping equipment," Effie said.

"Well, then, we'll need to go get some. Marlena, wanna join me?"

"Uh, sure." Flynn's door opened and he walked out. I followed Lex down the stairs, but not before I heard Effie start in on Flynn.

"So, Flynn, what's up?" I couldn't help but smile at his confusion and stammering.

The weather was very nice out. Some kids were playing soccer across the street. One of them kicked the ball over to Lex, who kicked it high into the air and bounced it on alternating knees, never letting it touch the ground. He headbutted it over to them again and continued walking like he hadn't stopped at all.

"Impressive," I noted.

"Oh, it's nothing. I've been playing soccer since kindergarten," he said in a nonchalant tone.

"So, what Pokémon do you want to catch first?" I changed the subject. I knew absolutely nothing about sports.

"I have no idea. Something that fits my personality, I guess."

"Are you nervous?"

"About catching a Pokémon? No."

"No, about leaving, of course."

"No," he wrinkled his nose.

"It's alright if you are. I was."

"Well, if we just leave quietly, we'll be fine."

"What about being on the road for so long and never coming home? You probably wouldn't return to your own bed until the very end. You know, once we've explored everywhere and beaten the gym leaders and Elite Four."

"I've been waiting for the opportunity to come along for years. There's nothing for me here anymore. All my friends have left, and I don't have school, which also means no more soccer team. I've literally been hanging around the house with my sister all day for the entire summer. Sure I'm nervous. There's always the possibility of something terrible happening, but there's no way in Hell I'm passing this up.

"I'm practically oppressed there. Our parents won't let us do anything or go anywhere. You heard them last night. My mom doesn't even want you in the house because she thinks I'll run away with you," he chuckled, but continued right away, "I wasn't even supposed to leave the house yesterday. I just had this feeling that if I didn't leave, though, I would miss out on something great. And I met you two. If I'd just stayed home, I would have never met you and I'd still be stuck at home.

"I'm incredibly grateful that you guys agreed to let us join you. I don't want to waste my life waiting for my parents' permission. I need to grow, and you've allowed that to happen after just one day."

I was just silent. I had no idea how much this meant to them. I thought they were just bored, looking for a summer road trip of sorts. I stopped walking. Lex looked over his shoulder, a couple paces ahead.

"What's up?" he held his hand out for me, but I stayed rooted in my spot. He walked back over. I threw my arms around him. He awkwardly patted my shoulder at first, causing me to laugh, but then he hugged me for real back.

"Thank you for telling me that," I said, pulling away. He nodded once.

We were in town now. The camping goods store was three blocks away from the dock. We walked in silence, but I'd occasionally smile up at him. He was about 6' tall, like Flynn, but he slouched and walked with his hands in his pockets. He didn't walk like he was ashamed or embarrassed, but more like he was comfortable and at ease. I was 5'7", so I didn't have to look too far up.

The store was decorated in a rustic way with log benches and stone walls. There were a couple stuffed Tauros and Bouffalant in the center in a display. The Bouffalant's afro was losing hair and had a couple bald spots that were spray-painted black to disguise it.

Flynn and I already had cooking equipment, a lantern, flashlights, spare batteries, our own sleeping bags and tents, and canned food, so Lex and I only needed to pick up two more sleeping bags and tents. He couldn't remember if they had hiking backpacks or not, so we got a couple of those, too. Lex used his father's credit card for the $300 bill.

"I think we should take this along," he said as he swiped the card. The cashier wasn't paying attention, but I didn't want to take any chances. I lowered my voice.

"No. If we use it, your parents will know where we are."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that."

"Flynn's parents gave him their card, but we can still use yours for emergencies."

"I could transfer my money in my savings account to a checking account." We grabbed the bags and walked outside.

"How much do you have?"

"I don't know, $100,000?" My face must have conveyed my disbelief because he chuckled and explained, "My Gran left it to me in her will."

"Uhm, yeah, you should definitely transfer that. Effie should, too."

We called Flynn and Effie on my 'dex and told them to meet us at the bank. Lex and I sat down on a bench outside, and a couple minutes later, we heard two motorcycle engines approaching. Flynn took Lex's spot when he went inside with Effie. Flynn and I talked, obviously, but I didn't mention what Lex had told me. I felt like that was a secret gem he'd kept from everyone, but had trusted me with it, which made me feel good.

When they came back out, they both had shiny blue cards and big smiles. We rode back to their house. Effie was almost done packing. I went to help her finish, Lex went to start, and Flynn went to make sure both the motorcycles were in proper working order.

We were all finished by lunch time. Lex and Effie hid their duffels and backpacks under Flynn's and my bed. Lex put the motorcycles behind the shed. Then we just hung around until Mrs. Lambros came home. She was an hour early which made me grateful that we had started when we did.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Lambros," I said.

She narrowed her eyes as if she could see right through us. "Good afternoon, children." I bet she thought Flynn and I had smuggled illegal drugs into the region and were now corrupting her sweet, innocent children. Little did she know we were planning on basically kidnapping them.

**X X X X**

Dinner was quiet again but for the clinking of silverware. Lex and Effie were kind of jumpy and shaky. Mr. Lambros just read over some business report, hardly touching his food, much to Mrs. Lambros' dismay.

We excused ourselves and got permission to watch TV again. Mrs. Lambros was very strict about bed times, and at 10:00 sharp, she came upstairs to the TV room to tell us to go to bed. We went through the motions of getting ready for bed – PJs, brushing teeth, washing faces – but, obviously, did not go to sleep.

In my room, I just sat on my bed and brushed Shinx's and Growlithe's fur. Shinx fell asleep in my arms, but Growlithe just sort of purred. At around 11:00, I heard Mr. and Mrs. Lambros go to bed on the floor above us. Only an hour left. For some reason, I got Butterfrees in my stomach. I had no idea why. I wasn't the one running away. If they caught us, Flynn and I would just be kicked out. I guess I was nervous for Lex's and Effie's sake. If we did get caught, I knew I'd still find a way to get them out. I couldn't just leave them there.

Trapped in their own home. What a cliché. But, cliché or not, they were my first friends in Kanto. I could never abandon them.

I returned Shinx and Growlithe to their balls and got dressed and ready again. The plan was for us to go down one at a time so that there'd be less noise. I heard Lex go down the hall at 12:03. He was going to disarm the alarm system. Then Flynn would go down three minutes after Lex with both their stuff, I'd go one minute after Flynn, and Effie one minute after me and grab her things on the way. I waited for three minutes, then heard Flynn's door open. I counted to sixty seconds and opened my door slowly. I walked carefully to avoid creaking on the spiral stairs, holding my bag so that it wouldn't scrape against the wall or railing. Lex was outside moving the motorcycle to the front yard by Flynn's. I caught Flynn's eye and exchanged a brief smile. His big brown eyes melted away my worries.

Effie joined us a minute later. We slowly opened the door to make sure it didn't creak and loaded everything onto the motorcycles' seats and saddlebags.

Effie and Lex hugged Flynn and me tightly, but briefly. There was no time to waste. We walked the bikes up the street until we were in Vermillion's marketplace. The noise of the starting engines couldn't be heard back at the Lambros Estate.

We strapped our helmets on, mounted the bikes, and we were off. Lex and Effie were beaming. I hugged Flynn from behind at their happiness.

"SO LONG, MOTHERFUCKERS!" Effie shouted. We all cracked up at the turning of the heads of late night clubbers and sped up toward the highway. We'd decided to start at Viridian City where the Pokémon Academy was.

Like we were real trainers.

Because we were.


End file.
